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Knife-wielding robbers bring horror end to inaugural beer festival

By: JimOldfield

June 10th, 2012

Beer festival organisers have been warned to be “extra vigilant” – after the first-ever independent Headingley Beer Festival in Leeds ended in early morning horror, with three masked thugs robbing a club steward of all the takings at knifepoint.

The robbers burst into the New Headingley Club in the city at 4am on May 28 – just hours after the three-day beer festival had ended there.

They threatened the 29-year-old club steward with a knife, and forced him to open the club’s safe. They then snatched all the weekend’s takings from the festival… much of which was destined for two charities.

The balaclava gang also robbed the shocked steward of his own personal jewellery, including rings and chains, then tied him up before fleeing. The steward managed to free himself and call the police.

The attack is not the first time a beer festival has been targeted by robbers – a festival in nearby Dewsbury, West Yorkshire has also been hit in the past.

Beer festival organisers are being urged to be ultra-vigilant at events, with one experienced club steward advising fellow-organisers to:

  • Make sure cash is taken away from the premises on a regular basis, and banked if possible
  • Ensure the venue is locked and secured as soon as possible after every session
  • Ensure a group, not a sole person, is responsible for the locking-up, and
  • Keep a watch out for all suspicious activity at events

The festival – which boasted more than 40 real ales and ciders, together with great food and a bevy of live bands – had been a huge success, with local MP and Save the Pub Parliamentary group chairman Greg Mulholland Tweeting his thanks for “a great event”.

Half of the proceeds had been destined to go to Sue Ryder and the Candle Lighters children’s cancer charities.

* Two days after the Headingley blag, the Queen pub in nearby Wortley, Leeds, was also robbed – this time at 11.25pm – by two men who threatened staff with a machete before rifling the till.

West Yorkshire Police are keeping an open mind on whether the incidents are linked.